Seventh Generation

574. William Turner RUTHERFORD²²⁶ was born on 2 October 1813 in Jessamine Co., KY.^100,227,228 He died on 19 May 1903 in Huntsville, Randolph Co., MO.^100,226 He was buried in May 1903 in Huntsville Cemetery, Huntsville, MO.²²⁶ Huntsville Herald, 21 Oct 1898, Huntsville, MO
"William Turner Rutherford, a native of Nicholasville, Kentucky, migrated from Jessamine Co., Kentucky to Randolph Co., MO, in 1831. He moved from Randolph County to Howard Co., MO in 1832 and returned to Randolph Co., MO to make his home in 1833. He entered land in Randolph CO., MO, 23 Nov 1836, and an adjacent tract of land 22 may 1837. This land was located on the edge of Dark's Prairie, about ten mile northwest of Huntsville. Here he and his bride lived in a typical pioneer log cabin of rough hewn logs and puncheon floors."
Under the employ of his father in law in 1843, William entered the tobacco business in Huntsville, a business in which he was later to have great success. After Mr. Dameron's death in 1846, William was a farmer for two years on the Grand Prairie near Cairo, Missouri.
In 1848 he relocated in Huntsville and entered the employ of Garth and Wisdom, supervising the buying and selling of tobacco. The next year he formed a partnership with Mr. Garth, and the firm realized large profits.
William Turner Rutherford ventured into the tobacco business on his own in 1855. He wrote 19 January 1872 to Nathaniel Huston Rutherford of Cairo, MO, one of his buyers, advising him to buy at least fifty or sixty thousand pounds of tobacco at an average of $5.00 per hundred, if possible. In the same letter he mentioned his son, Hayden Lewis Rutherford, and Thomas Heathman had started buying tobacco for him that day.
William Turner Rutherford was an enterprising and progressive businessman and he has been frequently cited as the builder of Huntsville. (History of Randolph Co., MO, 1920, page 555). In 1884, Huntsville was the second largest leaf tobacco market in Missouri. The two factories owned by William and another factory, also located in Huntsville, generally shipped from two and a half to three million pounds of tobacco per annum to foreign markets in England, Ireland and Germany, as well as to markets within the United States. In 1870 he began coal mining operations as president and general manager of the Huntsville Coal and Mining Company. He was also prominently engaged in merchandising, farming and stock raising.
Rutherford, a resident of Randolph County for more than seventy years, served the community of Huntsville as a councilman and as city treasurer. In 1859 he represented Randolph County as a delegate to the Missouri River Valley Railroad Convention held in Richmond, Missouri. He served as vice-president of the convention.
When reminiscing in Oct 1898, Rutherford related, with pardonable pride, that he had killed the largest and finest deer ever seen in Macon or Randolph Counties - a twenty two point buck. This memorable occasion in Oct 1869 was his last deer hunt on the Chariton River in Macon Co., Missouri.
He was a member of the Christian Church, and he contributed materially to the support of Christian College, now Columbus College, Columbia, Missiouri.
His will is recorded - Randolph Co Wills, Record 9, file 2383, Courthouse, Huntsville, MO.

William Turner RUTHERFORD and Phebe Jane DAMERON were married on 19 July 1838 in Huntsville, Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ Phebe Jane DAMERON was born on 18 April 1823 in Caswell Co., NC.²²⁶ She died on 19 August 1859 in Huntsville, Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ She was buried in August 1859 in Huntsville Cemetery, Huntsville, MO.²²⁶

William Turner RUTHERFORD and Phebe Jane DAMERON had the following children:

1171
i.
Joseph Shelton RUTHERFORD was born on 23 May 1840 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ He died on 6 February 1841 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ He was buried in February 1841 in Huntsville Cemetery, Huntsville, MO.
+1172
ii.
Hayden Lewis RUTHERFORD.
1173
iii.
Cordelia Elizabeth RUTHERFORD was born on 6 September 1843 in Randolph Co., MO. She died on 15 March 1912.²²⁶
1174
iv.
Sarah Celinda RUTHERFORD was born on 26 May 1845 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ She died on 31 August 1853 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶
1175
v.
Margaret Josephine RUTHERFORD was born on 27 December 1847 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ She died on 10 October 1852 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ She was buried in October 1852 in Huntsville Cemetery, Huntsville, MO.
1176
vi.
William Wight RUTHERFORD was born on 3 December 1849 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ He died on 3 November 1852 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶
1177
vii.
Laura Jane RUTHERFORD was born on 27 August 1851 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ She died on 28 November 1852 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶
1178
viii.
Laura Alline RUTHERFORD was born on 11 December 1853 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ She died in October 1930.²²⁶
1179
ix.
James Dabney RUTHERFORD was born on 7 March 1856 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ He died on 29 August 1857 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ He was buried in August 1857 in Huntsville Cemetery, Huntsville, MO.
1180
x.
Jennie Belle RUTHERFORD was born on 7 April 1858 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁶ She died on 13 December 1902.²²⁶

William Turner RUTHERFORD and Rebecca JOHNSON were married on 19 June 1860 in Randolph Co., MO.²²⁹ Widow of his brother Hayden.
They^²²⁹ appeared in the census in 1880 in Huntsville, Randolph Co., MO.²²⁷ William RUTHERFORD Self M M W 67 KY Occ: Tobacco Merch Fa: KY Mo: KY
Rebecca RUTHERFORD Wife F M W 54 IL Occ: Kpng Hse Fa: VA Mo: VA
Mary TERRILL Other F W B 54 KY Occ: Servant Fa: KY Mo: KY
John HEAD Other M S B 16 MO Occ: Servant Fa: KY Mo: MO
Susan GARTH Other F S MU 13 MO Occ: Servant Fa: MO Mo: MO
Mary PEMBERTON Other F S W 40 KY Occ: Boarder Fa: KY Mo: KY
Rebecca JOHNSON was born on 18 February 1826 in Edgar Co., IL.^227,230 She died on 15 July 1897 in Huntsville, Randolph Co., MO.²³⁰ She was buried in July 1897 in Huntsville Cemetery, Huntsville, MO.²³⁰